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Sunday, September 19, 2010

Do you sometimes feel that you are alone,
In this ocean of people,
Nobody to call your own?
Do you sometimes need to hurt yourself,
To stop the tears from flowing?
Or tell someone you are totally fine,
When actually you are hurting?
Have you ever walked into the rain,
And called your tears raindrops?
Have you ever cried so much,
It makes you feel like your heart stopped?
Do you ever feel neglected and all alone,
No one to speak too, no one to call your own?
Have you ever felt so unhappy,
That your tears are not enough?
Have you ever swallowed a sob,
To show the world you are tough?
Have you ever bought a friendship card,
And kept it as your own?
If you have, let me tell you,
YOU ARE NOT ALONE...

P.S.:

It may sound a cliché that you are not alone. But its true on the other hand that there is someone looking up at you and caring for you.

In this world, everything inspires everything. You just need to find it.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

This post is, perhaps, a little late in the year than it should have ideally been, but nevertheless, before we begin posting anything else, it seems only right to let our new members know something about The Literary Society, Ramjas College.

As we enter our fifth year as a Society, we can feel justifiably proud of ourselves, of what we have been, what we are and what we plan to evolve into. Five years may not be much, but they’re still a landmark and so we wish to make this year as special and enriching as can be.

But something on the Society first. To our freshers then, welcome: our society, the Literary Society, affectionately the Lit Soc, is officially an autonomous entity under Expressions, a conglomeration of societies under our ECAC. We deal, as our name suggests, with all things literary. That covers a whole range of activities: from reading and writing sessions to film screenings, from spell-a-thons to panel discussions, there’s an entire gamut of events at once exciting and enriching that fall under the aegis of a literary society. Our Lit Soc is a platform for both budding creative writers as well as aspiring critics to air their opinions and discuss a wide range of issues in a manner as free from bias and prejudice as is possible. Innovation, creativity and ingenuity are encouraged and are in ways more than one quite the hallmark.

What’s more – and which, as far as I know, is just in Ramjas – we’re also a bilingual society, which means that we’re open to Hindi along with English and as such carry out activities in both. These activities, as I’ve indicated, are varied and are organized throughout the year as separate inter and intra college events and also as part of our annual, inter-college fest Wordsmith, an event which is the culmination, but not the end, of our efforts as a society. This covers a variety of our most appealing events, including literary quiz, spelling bee, paper presentation and movie review, all of which are centered on a specially chosen theme.

Besides Wordsmith, the other, sort of year long exercise, are our journals. These, published till now as a monthly, four page newsletter, offer not just society members but also the student community at large in Ramjas, and, if need be, abroad, the opportunity to be read and reach out to a wider audience than usually available. Works submitted can be in either Hindi or English and can be in any form or genre, poetry, prose, et al. Further, the journals also act as a medium for us to announce our forthcoming events and so act as a much more effective interface between us and the student community at large than the usual word of mouth grapevine. Considering this, and the importance of the journal as a free and unbiased medium of expression to all students, we’re planning to increase the number of pages we currently have to around six or eight. We can’t vouch for that yet, but let’s hope for the best!

Moving on, just as Wordsmith is the climax of our organizational efforts, so is our annual magazine the apex of our literary and creative talents. The Annual Literary Society Magazine comes out towards the close of the academic session and as such attempts to present the best of the society’s talents. There’s no theme to this, or at least hasn’t been till now. Whether we have one or not would, of course, depend on us.

Which brings me to my next point, that as a Society we function pretty democratically, in a fashion that’s as flexible and inclusive as can be. Of course, some of us might at times seem a tad dictatorial, but we’re nonetheless a consensual, open community with no written rules and policies which change every year in accordance to members’ wishes. There is, of course, a framework and certain typical things we do, but even that framework is quite open to change and alteration and as such takes different forms with different people. In that sense, the Lit Soc is what those who’re with it want it to be, a society yours and mine in perhaps the true sense of the word. That, if I may for my colleagues in the ECAC, applies I think to all of us here in Ramjas in a way seldom observed in DU, a way which I hope you will, in the three years to come, makes yours for life: open, inclusive, serious and fun.

Welcome, then again, to the old and new, the experienced and not-so-much, and all and sundry!